Method of producing buttons or blanks for disks, buttons, or the like from irregularly-shaped pieces of material



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,660,726

R STANFORTH OR BLANKS FOR DISKS, BUTTONS, OR THE LIKE, FROM IRREGULARLY Flled April 9 1923 METHOD OF PRODUCING BUITTONS SHAPED PIECES OF MATERIAL IN V EN TOR.

1353 A TTORNEYS.

m m; k 0 M M Patented F eb. 28, 1928 UNITED. STATES P ENT OF ICE.

RICHARD sTANr RTR, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TOART in BUTTONS, Inc, OF ROCHESTER, new YORK, a COBPQRATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF PRODUCING iau'TToivs OR BLANKSFOR nrsri s, BUTTONS, ORTHE FROM IREEGULARLY-SHAPED PIECES OF MATE IAL. a 1

Application filed April 9, 1923. Serial N 631,047.

The present invention relates to a-method of producing buttons, Orblanksfor disks, buttons or the like, from irregularly shaped pieces of material, and an object of the in- 6 vention is "to provide a method by WlllOh itis possible to Obtain directly, from theirregularly shaped pieces, complete blanks,

I or buttons, each being of the maximum desirable size obtainable from an irregularly 10 shaped piece from which it is formed. An-

' other object of the invention is to provide a method by which it is possible to obtain directly,'from the irregularly shaped pieces, complete blanks, or buttons,.each being of .15 the maximum desirable size obtainable from an irregularly shaped piece'from which it is formed and containing in a large percentage of cases a plurality of proposedbutv tons, orblanks for disks, buttons, or the like. Still another'object of the invention is, toprovide for defining, in each irreguf larly shaped piece, a blank, orbutton, of the maximum desirable 'size obtainable from an irregularly shaped piece from which it is formed and to thereafter present the irregularly shaped piece to the cutting machine, in such a manner that the blank,so defined,

will be cut by such cutting machine. A

further object of the invention is to define'in each irregularly shaped piece, a button or blank of the maximum desirable size obtainable from the irregularly shaped piece from.which"it is formed, and thereafter to cut the blank previously defined with I a formed surface on either one or both sides thereof parallel V with the plane of the blank. Still another and furtherobject of the invention isto provide a method by which it is'possible'to obtain 40 directly, from irregularly shaped pieces,

complete'buttons or blanks containing the maximum possibilities in buttons or blanks for disks, buttons, or the like, of; the irregularly shaped pieces, regardless of the plane 5 Oraxis of such irregularly shaped piece. To these and other ends, the invention consists Ofcertain steps and combinations of steps in a method of producing'buttons, or blanks for disks, buttons, or the like, from F9 irregularly shaped piecesof material, all of which will be hereinafter described andthe novel features claim.

In the drawings: 1 Figs. 1,2 and?) show typical irregularly shaped pieces of'material cut from thesocalled ivory nut; I P Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary views of aclassifying device, showing the manner in which buttons, or-blanks of'maximum desirable' size are defined in the pieces illustrated in Figs. '1, 2 ando3;" Fig. 7 is a detail view showing-the manner in which the irregularly shaped pieces each having the proposed button or blank defined therein are fed to the cutting machine; 7 Fig. 8 is a fragmentar ers ective view of the feeding tube; y p p Fig. 9 is a'detail view showing a plural blank produced by the cutting machine, two bugtons being illustrated in dotted lines; an F ig. 10 is a view ing another mannerin which two buttons may be formed therefrom. i

For the purpose of illustrating this inyention, it will be described asemploying lrregularly shaped pieces such as {the socalled ivory 'nut pieces illustrated in the of a plural blankshow- LIKE,

pointed out in the appended I drawings, but it will'bej understood that the These 'iri therefrom,- the circular blanks preferably having a thickness which, in most cases, is sufficient to produce a plurality of'butto'ns,

or other articles yieldable from the irregularly shaped pieces. Whenfusing irregularly shaped materiah'such as the nut pieces V illustrated in the drawings, the diameter of the blanks obtainable therefrom 'is dependent upon "the thickness of such blanks and vice versa, so that {if but tons, or other articles of maximum diameter are desired, thesemay be obtained by testing for'and cutting each irregularly 1 shaped piece to yield a single button, or

i blank of minimum thickness,.whereas, if the largest number of buttons, or buttons of maximum thickness are desired, these may be obtained by testing for and cutting the blanks in the first instance to the maximum thickness for the irregularly shaped pieces with the diametersof the blanks decreased correspondingly. The expression"' .1naximum desirable as used in connection/with the size of or yield-in buttons, or blanks for disks, buttons, or the like, from the irregu-r larly shaped pieces means yield of maximum value, which is governed by trade or market conditions'and may be either of the.

extremes mentioned hereinbefore or any :de-

'mand in between these extremes. 7

- For carrying on the testing or classifying operations, it is preferred-to employ separate means or. units for testingthe irregularly 1 shaped pieces for each of the size classesor CllV1S1011Sr Each ofthese testing means, preferably has four spaced gauging points a, b, c andd, two of'whlch (a and 0) will cooperate withthe ma or side, such as the skin side 5 of an irregularly shaped nut piece blank, while the other two (b and cl) are andare spaced apart a distance 0 equal to a predetermined diameter of a button or spaced apart. a like distance andwill cooperate with faces opposedito the skin or major side, the distance 6 of the last mentioned two gauging points from the first mentioned two gauging points being equalto a predetermined thickness at which it is desired tO classify theirregularly shaped pieces asjto diameter. v It is apparent that in order tosecureJthe different classes that the distances between the gauging points a, 6, 0 and 01 must be varied. A variation in the diameter of the proposed button or blank to be formed from I the irregularly shapedpieces is obtained by varying the distance 6' between ct and and also between band d, whereas the variation in the thickness of theproposed button or blank isobtained ,by'varying thedistance c -.between wand b, and 0 and d. This makes it possible to obtain any desired number of different classes, those irrgularly; shapet pieces rejected-in one testing operation being subjected to a succession of otherjtesting I ing elements such as rotary drums, only fragmentsnbelng shown, each of which has the four spaced gauging points a, 6,0v and d herembefore mentioned. The gauging its walls 10 formed with a plurality of openings 11 the .wall of each opening having points of all the openings of anyone drum are arrangedthe same distancesaparu-but.

these distances vary in therdiiferent drums.

" In forming these buttons, or

It is apparent thatv rotation of the drum i will subject each irregularly shaped piece therein to a number ofdifl'erent tests to determine whether such piece containsa buttoiifor blankof a diameter and thickness 11 greater or less than that-defined by the gauging points of the drum.

blanks, de-

fined by, the testing operations, a turning or cutting machine of known construction may be employed, which isso adjusted'that it will produce a button or blank having a thickness and diameter defined by the testing operatlons.

In order that the blank defined by the testing operations may be cutfrom the irregularly shaped pieces by the turning machines, the irregularly shaped pieces should be placed in the holding means of the turning machine in a position determined by the measuring operations V 'With the end in view of securing this result, for each class of the irregularly shaped pieces, there maybe provideda feed-', ing mechanism corresponding to such 'class. This feeding mechanism, in this instance, embodies a feeding tube which has four guidesa b 0 and d ispaced apart in the same manner and at'the same distances as the gauging points rail), 0 and .cZ,1which define the class of the pieces. These guides lead to the holding means in such a manner that the holding means engages each piece' and sustains itin position on theturning machine, sothat the turning machine will 1 cut from each piece the blank defined by the eg I testing operation. In: cutting buttons or blanks from irregularly shaped pieces formed from nuts, thecutting tool 2 prefer ably operates from the sawed sideBjof the i piece, while. the piece is heldin any suitable '6 manner, as by the plunger 4, within the," area'of the proposed button orblank pref 'erablywith the skin side fiengaging a plurality of gaugingpoints 6, whereby the lane of theblank obtained from the irregu arly b j shaped piece will be approximately partner with the plane of the skin} side 51' the time the blank 7 is cut or turnedi a formed I surface 8 may be provided on the blank at ja fixed distance from the gauging points, so 15,

that a blank of'thethickness defined by the I testing operations may beobtained. After the blank 7-is removed from the turning machine-the skin side 5 thereof or side en gaging the gauging points 6 has a surface9; 1

shown in Figs. 9' and 10, formed thereon, and, if the'blank is of a' thickness to produce a plur'alityjof disks, or blanks for but-y 1 tons, or thelike, then the blank isdivided transversely and, during such division, one 2 or both finished surfaces may be provided on the divided faces, desired. The sur faces 8 and 9 arenot necessarily provided in the manner above set forth as both surfaces can be placed upon the blank in the same 13b operation by machinery now in common use.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

A method of producing buttons, or blanks for disks, buttons, or the like from ivory nuts, which consists in testing irregularly shaped pieces, cut from ivory nuts, by a number of tests around the circumference of each at four spaced points to find or locate in each piece the maximum possibilities in buttons or blanks obtainable therefrom with reference to diameter as related to thickness,

blank, utilizing the four points determined by the final test for directing the nutpiece to a cutting point, and cutting from the irregularly shaped nut piece, While-so p'osi tioned,the button or blank as found or lo:

cated by the final test ,c

RICHARD STANFORTH] 

